New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-11-04
TIME FOR PUNISHMENT

There are times when the people cannot
afford to forget the duty Of Furnishing past sins.
The present and the future sometimes have to
wait until the past can get itself lIquisatcd.
In the States OF Ohio, New-Jcrscy and New
York the political campaigns this year are and
ought to be largely Of punitive character. and
if the people had to choose between Democratic
promises for the future. and Democratic sins IN
the past, they have good reason TO attend first
to the promises broken and crimes committed
already. IL pledge-brcaking brings no pen
atty, if the most dangerous crimes against
self-goycrnmcnt escape ccnsurc or even rccol-
lection under the cover OF new professions,
government by dishonest scOundrcs is in u
fair way to become chronic
Ohio and New Jersey have seen their State
Legislatures disorganized for months by election
frauds pcrpctratcd in order to steal Democratic
victories. II is no longer necessary to rccIte
the particulars Of these nfamics. Ohio was
robbed of sclf-govcrnmcnt so far as the Dem
ocratic party could rob the majority of the
people by forgery, ballot stealing and per-
jury and the same party robbed the people Of
Ncw-Jersey. There has been no punishment
for these crimes, the most dangerous that can
be committed against free government, and
the same party by which the people Of these
two States were robbed of their right TO elect
their law makers is now asking again for the
votes of the people, relying upon new issues
and new promises to make them forget the
past. Every decent citizen OF either party
knows that if the people do not punish such
crimes in manner so marked and severe az
Ia hn harnd Inv pnIiticaI rIynrc bau
arc certain to have the same offences repeated
whenever the hunger for power or Office gets
intense One party cannot do the Furnishing
alone II is no rebulkc and no warning to Dem
ocratic fOrgcrs and pcrjurcrs to have the usual
Republican vote cast against them they suffer
only when voters OF their own party turn
against them and swell tho adverse majority.
Then there is another punitive duty in which
the voters Of New York have common share.
Pledges regarding the Civil Service and the
tariff were made three years ago by Democrats
in all these States which have been insolcnuy
broken. Ohio knows how many Jail birds have
been thrust into Office in that State in place Of
faithful Republicans. The people of the three
States know well how the public service has
been demOralizcd by putting untried party
Workers INTO inc PAGES OI Shllcu puDllC scr
wants, and how the service has been and is
used as a partisan machine in contcmptuous
confidence that the voters will never remember
he Presidents pledges. Nool-growers in these
States, especially in Ohio, know with what
solcmnity the Democrats promised to restore
the duty on wool and workers in iron and
coal Mines in furnaces, foundrics, rolling mills
and factories of all sorts, know how the Dem
ocrato party pledged itself TO seek no change
OF tariff that would tend to lower the wages
OF workngmen. But every winter since the
Democratic party prevailed by these dishonest
pledges, tho country has seen four-fifths OF the
Democratic Representatives in Congress voting
10 cut down tho tariff, and the struggle is to
DO renewed this winter with President Cleve-
land at the head Of the picdge-breakcrs.
If the people do not punish party for de-
liberately breaking its pledges, they may be
surc that present and future promises will be
worthless. There is no. way under tho sun
to hold politicians of either party to the per
formance Of their obligations. except by the